New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday asserted that education is the best weapon to combat the social menace of child marriage.


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Launching the Rs 1,500 crore 'Nijut Moina Scheme' to provide financial assistance to girl students from higher secondary to post-graduate level in government and aided institutions, the chief minister said that most girls drop out of schools after class 10 and their parents then marry them off.


The scheme has been launched to curb child marriage by increasing the enrolment of girl students in higher education.


The 'Nijut Moina' scheme is aimed at protecting children's rights to education and health, empowering girls to make informed choices, delaying marriage till they gain emotional, mental and physical maturity and reducing teenage motherhood incidences, Sarma said.


''This is not a scheme to create beneficiaries but to ensure a long-term social impact," he added.


Girls from all families, irrespective of their economic condition, are eligible for this scheme.


Girl students of Class 11 will receive Rs 1,000 per month, while those in their degree first year will get Rs 1,250 per month and those in post-graduation and B.Ed will receive Rs 2,500 per month.


The scheme will cover 10,000 students who will get the amount for 10 months and not during summer vacation in the months of June and July.


The students will get the benefits in the next year provided they fulfill the necessary percentage of attendance in class and are not involved in any criminal activities or ragging, among others.


Married girls, except in PG and B.Ed categories, and in-service B.Ed candidates, daughters of ministers, MPs and MLAs and those receiving scooters under the Banikanta Kakati Award, unless they opt out of the scooter award, are not eligible under the scheme, Sarma said.


The last date for submission of forms is August 31 and the scheme will be implemented from October 10.


''Our analysis has shown that 80-85 per cent of the girls study till class 10 but they drop out after that as many villages lack higher secondary schools and they have to go to the nearest town for further studies.


"This leads to dislocation and higher transportation costs while many parents also face the challenge of admission fees which the government has tried to solve by introducing free admission," Sarma said.


On child marriage, he said that the state government has taken steps such as arrests under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) but this is not enough as education is the key to check child marriages and teenage pregnancy.


Assam Police will launch another drive against child marriage in November this year but ''we are sure that there will not be many arrests this time as compared to the first drive in February 2023''.


Several NGOs have conducted surveys on the impact of the drive against child marriage in the state and they have pointed out that there has been a decline in this social menace, Sarma added.